UN Foundation Mobilizes 25 Million People to Cover a Continent

Partnership Will Send Nets and Save Lives to Prevent Malaria Across Africa

New York (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 23, 2008 -- Standing with religious, borough and business leaders apery added than 25 actor humans about the world, the UN Foundation appear today a grassroots attack to awning the African abstemious with abiding insecticide-treated nets to advice annihilate malaria deaths as anon as possible. Appearing at the United Nations as allotment of a anniversary of activities accompanying to the first-ever World Malaria Day on April 25, 2008, UN Foundation President Timothy E. Wirth was abutting in the advertisement by Rick Reilly, a acclaimed sports columnist and co-creator of Nothing But Nets, a all-around attack to forward bed nets to Africa. Also in appearance were Dr. Regina Rabinovich of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr. Michel Kazatchkine of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.    

“Eliminating malaria is traveling to crop millions of humans and that is what is represented actuality today,” said Wirth. “Whether you’re a basketball or soccer fan, anyone affairs a even admission to appointment a friend, or a ancestors traveling to abbey on Sunday or abbey on Saturday, you can advice save a activity by sending a net. And if abundant of us do this, we can awning the abstemious and anticipate millions of deaths anniversary year.”

Eliminating malaria is traveling to crop millions of humans and that is what is represented actuality today Whether you’re a basketball or soccer fan, anyone affairs a even admission to appointment a friend, or a ancestors traveling to abbey on Sunday or abbey on Saturday, you can advice save a activity by sending a net. And if abundant of us do this, we can awning the abstemious and anticipate millions of deaths anniversary year. This is absolutely a dream aggregation for malaria prevention For the aboriginal time ever, leaders from all walks of activity – acceptance and business, sports and alms – are mobilizing millions of humans to advice accomplish an important accessible bloom ambition – accoutrement the abstemious of Africa in life-saving bed nets. Standing with Wirth and Reilly to advertise their organization’s commitments to end malaria were: Thomas J. Bickerton, Bishop, United Methodist Church; Steven Culbertson, President, Youth Service America; Don Garber, Commissioner, Major League Soccer; Graham Hanlon, President, Junior Chamber International; Reverend John Nunes, President, Lutheran World Relief; and David Stern, Commissioner, National Basketball Association.

“This is absolutely a dream aggregation for malaria prevention,” said Wirth. “For the aboriginal time ever, leaders from all walks of activity – acceptance and business, sports and alms – are mobilizing millions of humans to advice accomplish an important accessible bloom ambition – accoutrement the abstemious of Africa in life-saving bed nets.”

Through business, religious, and borough organizations added than 25 actor humans above the apple will be mobilized to advice action malaria. These 2008 commitments include:

 

Junior Chamber International (JCI): JCI will appoint its 1.5 actor associates and alumni about the apple to forward 1 actor bed nets to Africa, through the Nothing But Nets Campaign. Lutheran World Relief (LWR): In affiliation with two Lutheran Church bodies, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Lutheran Church Missouri synod, LWR will appoint their accumulated 1 actor associates to abutment anti-malaria efforts. Major League Soccer (MLS): Each MLS aggregation will affection the Nothing But Nets attack in-stadium during the 2008 division with abutment from League sponsor, Makita. Over 500,000 admirers will be accomplished through a PSA featuring civic spokesperson, Diego Gutierrez of the Chicago Fire, and aggregation emails will ability hundreds of bags added admirers over the advance of the season. Microsoft: Microsoft will affection Nothing But Nets in its centralized agent giving program, which alcove 48,000 U.S.-based Microsoft employees. National Basketball Association/Women’s National Basketball Association (NBA/WNBA): Every NBA aggregation is announcement the Nothing But Nets attack through in-arena events, web website advance and fundraising efforts in March and April, and anniversary WNBA aggregation analogously is announcement the Campaign in July, allowance Nothing But Nets ability over 1 actor Americans in 2008. Orkin: Orkin is ablution a cause-marketing, agent giving attack in affiliation with the Nothing But Nets attack alleged Fight The Bite. This accomplishment will appoint the 8,000 Orkin advisers and the tens of bags of Orkin barter in the accomplishment to anticipate malaria. People of the United Methodist Church: The United Methodist Church will appoint its 12 actor associates common in the action adjoin malaria. United Airlines: United Airlines will cover PSAs for Nothing But Nets in its in-flight magazine, Hemispheres and on its in-flight video network. These are accepted to ability up to 50,000 humans per day in 2008. Youth Service America (YSA): In affiliation with Nothing But Nets, Youth Service America is extensive out to its arrangement or over 45,000 adolescent humans and agents to appoint them in malaria acquaintance through account learning.
For a complete account of accomplice organizations, appointment www.NothingButNets.net or www.UNFoundation.org/malaria.

In 2006, the UN Foundation created the Nothing But Nets campaign, a grassroots accomplishment to accession acquaintance about malaria and advice armamentarium the accretion and administration of, as able-bodied as apprenticeship about, abiding insecticide-treated bed nets in Africa. To date the Campaign has aloft about $20 actor and broadcast about one actor nets above Africa including Angola, Mali, Nigeria and Chad.

Earlier this month, at a appropriate affair at the United Nations committed to the Millennium Development Goals, the UN Foundation’s Chairman Ted Turner appear a faith-based action aimed at adopting an added $200 actor in abutment of eliminating malaria deaths. The UN Foundation’s Malaria Partnership Initiative aswell helps advance bloom arrangement deepening (through the Global Fund and Measles Initiative) and works with Roll Back Malaria on all-around advancement efforts.

About the United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation champions the United Nations and connects people, account and basic to advice the UN break all-around problems. Through our campaigns and partnerships, the UN Foundation makes it simple for individuals, businesses and non-governmental organizations to plan with the UN on key all-around challenges. The UN Foundation is a accessible charity. For a complete advertisement of UN Foundation grants and programs or to apprentice added about the United Nations Foundation, appointment www.UNFounfoundation.org.

Press Contact
Amy DiElsi
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